


Trustworthy?

by KCcandy



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Killing Game Was A Virtual Reality Simulation (Dangan Ronpa), Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Sharing a Bed, The last chapter is all just fluff I think that makes up for the rest of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29114958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KCcandy/pseuds/KCcandy
Summary: Silence. Figures, Shuichi thought. He wasn’t expecting any sort of response- he didn’t deserve it after how he treated Ouma- but he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Shuichi was never good with words, he couldn’t phrase anything right and always ended up just making things awkward. Despite this, he simply couldn’t tear himself away from the door.Post-game virtual reality AU.
Relationships: Oma Kokichi & Saihara Shuichi, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi, could be romantic or platonic - Relationship
Comments: 11
Kudos: 110





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Sorry if this fic starts off a little slow, I promise it’ll get better in the coming parts :) It will have either 3 or 4 chapters depending on how long some bits get, thanks for reading <3

Shuichi awoke from the simulation with a newfound respect for his life. He’d been given a second chance. He knew all his friends were alive (even Tsumugi; similar to how Rantaro had been chosen to play the role of ultimate survivor, Tsumugi had simply been chosen to represent the mastermind character. She was just another participant in the killing game.) and the detective had ended the game for good. No one else had to suffer.

A few nurses rushed in and messed around with the equipment around him, but Saihara was too disoriented to care. In what felt like an instant the nurses detached the virtual system, re-explained the situation to him (just in case), and left letting him know he was free to get up and wander around the hospital.

Shuichi attempted to pull himself out of the bed, but as soon as he put any weight on his feet his knees buckled beneath him. He grabbed onto the railing by the cot to keep himself from falling to the floor. After a few minutes, Shuichi regained his composure and stumbled over to the door.

Before he opened the door too soon, the detective decided he might as well wait a bit before seeing everyone. They would all still be out there, he reasoned, and he might as well process everything that went on before he embarasses himself in front of his friends again. He would have all the time in the world to see Kaede, Kaito, Maki, and the others.

Honestly, part of him was afraid to check in case it was all just another despair-inducing incident; what if Team Danganronpa just wanted to convince him all his friends were alive before showing him their demise again? He knew he was just being paranoid, but he might as well wait a bit anyways.

Apparently ‘a bit’ was longer than anticipated for Shuichi, as he ended up walking circles around his cramped hospital room for hours then crashing and falling back asleep. He awoke once again to a pounding on the door.

“Hey Shuichi! You in there?” There was a voice he recognized, almost too good to be true.

“Kaito? Is that you?”

“The one and only! Can I come in?”

“Of course!” Saihara could have sworn his heart skipped a beat or two,  _ what if it’s not really Kaito?, _ until he saw the self-proclaimed Luminary of the Stars walk through the door.

“There’s my sidekick!” Kaito exclaimed, and Shuichi wondered how he could spend a minute away from the friends he cared about so much, “I’ve really missed you, man. You doing alright?”

“As alright as I can be,” Shuchi replied, a little overwhelmed at the man he watched die just days before being right there next to him. “I’m very happy to see you, Kaito.”

“And I’m happy to see you!” Momota grinned. “Maki told me all about the way you kicked Team Danganronpa’s ass in their own game!” Shuichi laughed uncomfortably and looked away, not wanting to discuss that event whatsoever.

“Well, what have you been up to? Is there anything to do around here?”

“There’s not a lot to do in a hospital, I guess. They have a gym though, maybe you might wanna check it out with me?” Kaito rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.  _ Getting out of this room might do some good _ , Shuichi thought, so he nodded and forced himself out of bed. Luckily he wasn’t wobbling anymore from the amount of time he spent pacing, so he could walk around with no problem. The two of them left the room.

Momota mentioned who resided in a few of the nearby rooms before he led them though the twisted hallways. Saihara tried to pretend he couldn’t feel the eyes of all the hospital staff on him; some sympathetic, some confused, and even some enraged that he had ended everything they had worked for. He hadn’t needed his hat for most of the game, so he assumed he wouldn’t need it here, but he really wished he had something other than Kaito to shield him from the glares. 

“Right here, Shuichi!” Kaito’s booming voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The gym seemed well furnished- not that Shuichi had any idea what a furnished gym looked like- but the scene seemed to impress the Luminary of the Stars. “We’ll be able to do practically anything here!” Momota strolled in and started messing around with metal bars and complicated machines, “I’ll make sure you get into shape in no time, sidekick!”

“Will do. Thank you for taking the time to show me around.”

“No problem! Y’know, we could actually start working out right now, there’s this-” Shuichi stopped listening. Something had just rushed past them, if he had blinked he would have missed it. The hospital was very well lit, leaving not a single shadowy place for someone sneaking around to hide, but there was no doubt the detective saw someone watching them close-by. _M_ _ aybe a nurse? _

“Hey, mind if we hold out on the treadmill for now?” Shuichi interrupted, “There’s something I gotta check, I’ll come find you when I’m ready?”

“I’ll be here then. See you soon, sidekick.” Saihara nodded and hurried out the door. He could have sworn he heard a shuffling noise on the right, so he rushed towards it. Whoever he was chasing sped up, so Shuichi did too, until they were practically running. He hadn’t caught a glance of the perpetrator, but he had a hunch as to who it was. They made it to the hallway where the hospital rooms of the participants resided, and one of the doors quickly slammed shut.

There were no defining marks outside the door to give Saihara a hint as to who it belonged to, but since almost every other door was open he decided he might as well figure it out by the process of elimination. The only other shut room was Hoshi’s, which Kaito had pointed out earlier that morning. After deducing out who every other room belonged to by taking a look at the extra clothes laid out on the chairs,  _ very lucky that the nurse had just stopped by,  _ the only one missing was-

“K- Ouma.” Shuichi gently knocked on the door, knowing the ‘stalker’ would be listening for him anyway. “I know you’re the one in there, you can come out. I’m not-” The detective gulped as he remembered the last thing he had said to Kokichi in the killing game, “I’m not upset with you.”

Silence.  _ Figures, _ Shuichi thought. He wasn’t expecting any sort of response- he didn’t deserve it after how he treated Ouma- but he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Shuichi was never good with words, he couldn’t phrase anything right and always ended up just making things awkward. Despite this, he simply couldn’t tear himself away from the door. 

“I’ll wait out here until you change your mind.” 

A few minutes passed by, but Saihara didn’t mind. He eventually scooted down and sat with his back against the wall next to the entrance. He knew Kokichi was stubborn, but as a stubborn person himself he felt the need to prove he was stubborn-er. That wasn’t a word, but he stubbornly refused to care. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to wait as long as he expected to hear some shuffling from inside the room and a voice beyond the door.

“Leave.” Kokichi sounded different, as if he had finally dropped his evil supreme leader facade. Shuichi’s first reaction was to do what he was told, but he quickly realized that walking away would be very counterproductive. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“I’m sorry Ouma. When I-”

“I told you I don’t wanna talk!”

“Will you at least listen? I’m-”

“Are you in any position to be asking favors of me?” Shuchi stopped.  _ Damn it. _ He should have shut his mouth and walked away. He shouldn’t have followed Kokichi and waited by the door. He was just being selfish again; following the truth was never good, shouldn’t he have learned that in the killing game? He just wanted to apologize to make himself feel better, and Kokichi damn well knew it. So Shuichi, instead of just leaving like he should have done ages ago, decided to make things worse.

“...I didn’t mean what I sai-”

“You’re even dumber than I thought.” Ouma’s voice was just a whisper now, but Shuichi heard every word. “You think you’re so much better than me, don’t you? You think so highly of yourself, you- you think I can’t tell when you’re lying?” Kokichi gradually raised his voice, “You sit outside my door for an hour, try to force me to listen to your half-assed, fake apology, just so you can think you’re in the right about everything, then disrespect me like that? Sorry my existence brings you such guilt,  _ detective,  _ but you can’t get rid of me just to clear your mind.”

Shuichi said nothing.

“Can you please just leave now? You got what you wanted, and I’m sick of your presence already.” This time Shuichi listened, but not without the last word. Old habits die hard.

“I’ll be around. Let me know if you change your mind.”


	2. Chapter 2

Saihara was able to find his way back to the gym with no issue, but let Kaito believe he had gotten himself lost so he didn’t have to explain why he was out so long. Kaito had already begun his workout and invited Shuichi to join him, but the detective declined the equipment and blamed his exhaustion on the virtual reality program. 

“Alright, well.” Momota put his weights down, “How about we catch up then? I’m sure you’ve got a lot to tell me!”

Obviously Shuichi didn’t want to directly say he was trying to communicate with Kokichi; he and Kaito clearly hadn’t made up yet, or else he would have heard about it. They practically despised each other in the killing game, and the fact that Kokichi kept him locked in the hanger before their deaths didn’t help.

“You remember back in the game when Maki was revealed to be an assassin?” Shuichi asked, “When she locked herself up in her lab?”

“Course I do!” Kaito beamed, not even the slightest bit deterred from Maki’s talent reveal.

“Why did you feel so… drawn to her?” Shuichi asked, a little unsure about his wording, “Like how did you know something good would come of it?”

“That’s easy! I loved Maki Roll. And still do, obviously.”

“You loved her?” Saihara almost gasped, “Even when all you knew was that she was a seasoned murderer?”

“Yes.” Momota replied simply. “I’ve learned to trust my gut, sidekick, and I hope you learn to do that too. You’ve got a great head on your shoulders, and whether you believe that or not, it’s the truth!” He laughed. “It’s kinda like how I knew you needed to train with me; I knew Maki Roll needed me to be there for her, even if she would never admit it. No one deserves to be completely alone.”

“That’s… surprisingly wise, actually. Thank you.”

“Surprisingly? What do you mean by that?” Shuichi just shook his head and laughed at Kaito’s exasperated expression. Talking with him just made everything seem so simple, but that was exactly how Kaito operated. Simply and with conviction. “Speaking of Maki Roll, I promised her we’d meet up around now for dinner. See you tomorrow?” 

“Of course. You’re the best, Kaito.”

“No problem! Good luck with whoever you’re wooing!” Kaito winked and hurried off as Shuichi decided he would think things through in his head tonight and try to reach Ouma in the morning. As much as he tried, he couldn’t risk such an important conversation on gut feelings. It was late anyway, so he headed off to his room.

His thoughts manage to cloud up a considerable amount simply by being alone on the walk back. Momota’s presence helped Saihara out a whole lot more than he ever realized, and without him things faded back into the jumbled mess they always were.

Once he arrived at his room, Shuichi grabbed the spare hat from his desk chair and tossed it to the floor. He stomped on it once, then again, then a few more times for good measure. He paused to pick up the hat and throw it against his door with as much force as he could (which didn’t do much, as it was very light) then fell onto the flimsy hospital bed without picking it up. After taking a second to make sure nothing was going on in the hallway, Shuichi started to tear up.

He wasn’t upset that Kokichi was mad at him; Saihara deserved everything he had coming for him. After thinking things over for a while, he knew Kokichi wasn’t a bad person. Everything he had done had been for a reason, and while the detective never quite understood what most of them were, he knew Ouma didn’t have any evil intent. 

Shuichi had spent time with Kokichi during the killing game, likely more than anyone else had. He never processed seeing the word “trustworthy?” under his portrait, written by a dead man. Kokichi Ouma was an enigma, but anyone would know that just by being around him for a minute. 

However, they were never really friends. The only person Shuichi had seen since he’d woken up was Kaito. He really wanted to meet up with Kaede, but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to go find her. He didn’t deserve it, not after what he did. It wasn’t permanent, but Saihara had sent her to her death, and for that he didn’t think he deserved to be forgiven.

Momota was different. Shuichi had trusted in his friend in the last moments, and had attempted to save him by tricking Monokuma. Shuichi could look him in the eye because Kaito had chosen his own path. While revealing the truth was exactly what Kaede had wanted him to do,  _ if he had only done a better job of revealing the mastermind she would have been saved!  _ Kaede must be so disappointed in him. He couldn’t imagine having to hear her tell him he didn’t deserve to be called the Ultimate Detective after that display. He already knew.

_ Kaede would never say a thing like that,  _ his rational brain argued but he knew, he knew she was so kind to him and he gave her nothing in return. He let her die. Even if she didn’t show her disappointment, there was no way he could show his face in her light again.

Saihara shook the tears from his eyes; he’d definitely gone on an unnecessary tangent there. Some more sleep would do him some good, at least he didn’t have to think while he was asleep. Saihara changed into the pajamas a nurse had laid on his desk, then fell back onto the rickety hospital bed. 

Insomnia was a bitch. Shuichi knew his friends were alive and well in the rooms down the hall, but he couldn’t stop picturing their mauled faces and pained expressions whenever he tried to get some rest. He eventually decided it wasn’t worth the trouble, so he decided to rummage through the nearby cabinets. He discovered a deck of cards and a few board games, which seemed a little pointless to him as he was alone for most of the day. 

Saihara wasn’t sure if he heard a knock at his door or if it was just his imagination, but there was no harm in checking. Sure enough, he encountered someone right outside his room.

“You said I could stop by.”

The hallway was colder than usual that night, and Kokichi wasn’t wearing his uniform, but rather a t-shirt and some sweatpants. The chill was obviously bothering him, and Shuichi doubted he’d want to talk out in the open anyways.

“Let’s talk inside?”

“Okay.” Saihara shut the door behind him. The Kokichi he knew would have made a comment about Shuichi insinuating something by inviting him in and closing the door, but the one next him kept his mouth shut. It was a little uncomfortable to just stand there, but neither of them really wanted to sit on the tiny bed. Eventually, Shuichi realized he’d have to be the one to start the conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

“Uh…” Shuichi cleared his throat, silently cursing himself for not planning for this. He had no idea Kokichi would actually stop by; not that he didn’t want him here, but the guy was completely unpredictable, and Shuichi was much better at conversations when things went the way he expected. Kokichi just stared down at the floor, practically a completely different person than he was in the game.  _ This should be fun. _

__ “I’m glad you’re here,” Saihara started, but he went silent immediately after. Did Ouma want him to apologize? Or was he here to apologize to Saihara? Perhaps neither; maybe he just wanted Saihara to listen? He wasn’t saying anything for Saihara to listen to...

At some point, Kokichi had turned completely around, leaving Saihara no clue of the expression on his face. Well, no clue until he heard Kokichi sniffle a few times and bring one of his hands up to his face.

Shuichi was not a very comforting person, never had been. He was always the one who needed help; Kaede inspired him to come out of his shell, Kaito worked with him to become strong and confident, and all the others who had been there for him when Shuichi alone hadn’t been enough. He hated to admit when he needed help, often even getting upset with someone just for offering. Despite all his flaws, Shuichi knew exactly what someone who didn’t want help or flattery actually needed, and that someone was right in front of him. 

“Sit with me.” Shuichi said, as he pressed his back against the wall and lowered himself to the floor. Ouma’s sniffles stopped for a moment, but he didn’t turn around or sit down. “Please, Kokichi?” 

That seemed to do it. Kokichi turned around and sat next to Saihara, eyes narrowed and not meeting the detective’s.  _ Of course Kokichi would be defensive when he felt vulnerable,  _ Saihara thought. This was likely the first time he’d ever seen Kokichi genuinely expressing an emotion.  _ It’s now or never.  _ He wrapped a trembling arm around Kokichi’s shoulder, pulling him in toward his chest. The shorter tensed up for just a second before throwing all composure out the window and sobbing into Saihara’s shirt.

It was pretty obvious that Shuichi despised physical contact, not quite as much as Harukawa, but enough that people would just nod instead of trying to hug him. Maybe it was because he never received a lot of affection from his uncle; he loved Shuichi like a son, but when his parents disappeared after never really being the caretakers they were supposed to be in the first place, well it’s no big surprise a child would end up like that. 

Despite his opinions on what was uncomfortable and what wasn’t, Saihara wasn’t the least bit unnerved by holding Kokichi. He was careful not to wrap his arms too tightly around the other as he allowed Kokichi to finally feel at least a little understood. 

“The game’s over now, Ouma. We’re not gonna-”

“Kokichi.” He whispered.

“Kokichi.” Shuichi corrected himself, “The production’s over now. Not just our production, but the show. We did it.”

“You,” a loud sniff, “You did it, detective. I was a rotten pancake.” Saihara could barely stop himself from physically shuddering at the memory of Ouma’s body discovery.  _ What an awful way to go, _ but he definitely didn’t need to tell that to Kokichi.

“You laid out all the pieces,” Shuichi subconsciously moved the hand by his side up to Kokichi’s hair, “I just put them together. I liked your hints, it really felt as if you were there working along with me.”

“I never worked with you. You know that.” He shook his head slightly while still buried in Shuichi’s shirt, causing the taller one to realize what he was doing with his hand and move it back to his side. “I only ever worked for my own benefit. I’m a selfish person, selfish enough to let Gonta, Miu, and Kaito die, selfish enough to waste your time now, selfish enough to wish you’d put your hand ba-”

“Kokichi-”

“What if you died? What if you chose me as the killer but Monokuma chose right I fucking killed you all and you, what if you died because of m-”

“Kokichi, enough.” Shuichi spoke a bit louder than he intended, but it worked to stop the rambling. The shorter one had begun to shake more rapidly in his arms. “I’m right here. I’m safe and so are you, and I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to leave you as long as you won’t leave me.”

Silence, stillness, and then-

“You can put your hand back. In my hair, I mean. Even though I hate it when you touch me, yuck!”

“You hate it?”

“No.” Saihara lifted his hand back to Ouma’s hair and smiled.

“I don’t think you’re as selfish as you think you are.” Kokichi tensed up as if he was going to refute it, “Hold on. I didn’t say you weren’t selfish, but if you’re the most selfish being on the planet, what does that make me?” Shuichi took a deep breath, preparing himself to say things he couldn’t imagine ever telling Kaito or Kaede. “After you… left, I asked Maki to kill me. She was gonna kill us all. I couldn’t-” His breath hitched in his throat,  _ really, now?  _ He really didn’t want to cry on Kokichi, especially not when Kokichi was supposed to be venting to him. He tried to continue when he felt the shorter boy shuffle a bit and wrap his arms around Shuichi’s back.

“I know. And I’m sorry.” Ouma propped himself up and laid his head on Saihara’s shoulder, pulling him into a full hug. He sniffed again, then leveled his voice to leave no indication that he had been bawling. “You know why I distanced myself so much?” The detective shook his head, so Ouma continued. “Remember the death road of despair? When Kaede led us all back and back again?” A nod. “Well, as any great leader knows, sometimes it’s easier to rally people under a common enemy rather than a common, impossible goal.” Shuichi refrained from making a comment about Michael Scott. 

“Kaede’s got some qualities of a great leader,” He continued, “but not a lot of self awareness. If I could get everyone to hate me and defend her, we had a chance of getting out of there. So I became your enemy.”  _ Knew it. _ Saihara thought, both a little smug and a little disappointed he didn’t see it earlier, but he was right. Kokichi had never been a bad guy.

“I’m sorry you had to do that for us.” Shuichi silently began to stroke his hair again. “And I’m sorry I told you you deserved to be alo-”

“Shhh,” Kokichi leaned back and brought a finger up to Saihara’s mouth, “now it’s my turn to shush you!” He grinned for a second before letting his face fall back into a neutral expression. “You were upset. You only knew about the awful things I’d done, not my end plan. And you weren’t exactly wrong-”

“I-”

“But I’m not alone now. And I don’t think you want me to be anymore, huh?” Shuichi nodded, trying not to let a tear fall, “Right. Sorry for getting so defensive earlier.”

“I never want you to leave like that again.” Saihara blurted out, which was horribly stupid of him and  _ oh no,  _ now he’s done it. Now Ouma would give him a disgusted look and he really would leave, and if he’d only kept his mouth shut he wouldn’t have made things weird, and-

“I’m not leaving again. We agreed just a minute ago! Or have you gotten amnesia from the poison I slipped you already?” Shuichi let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and smiled. 

Neither of them were alright, and neither of them pretended to be. They sat together for so long, Saihara lost track of time, but neither of them were bored in the slightest. They couldn’t have been more different, but neither had ever been as understood as they were right then. Maybe being Shuichi Saihara wasn’t all bad. Maybe he deserved to finally feel at peace.

“Well, we have the whole night ahead of us-”

“Ooh, trying to suggest something, detective?” Kokichi jumped up quicker than he expected, “You could have taken me to dinner first!” Typically Saihara would have instantly denied the insinuation, but instead he laughed, glad to see Kokichi back to…  _ well, not normal, _ but back.

“Not what I meant. I found some board games in that cupboard earlier, maybe we could just play a few games without anyone’s lives on the line?”

“Aww, that’s no fun!” Kokichi pretended to pout, but instantly sprang back to a grin, “but if it’s what Shuichi wants, who am I to disagree?”

They talked about everything that was pointless the whole time; Kokichi’s long line of pet goldfish that all died within a week, Shuichi’s inability to learn to whistle, their mutual hatred for people who put antlers on their cars around Christmas. After too many games of connect 4 (full of cheating on Kokichi’s end, even though Shuichi was positive he watched his every move), the two decided to call it a night. Kokichi started to shuffle towards the door, before Shuichi stopped him.

“I don’t mind sleeping in the chair!” He said, a little too desperately, “If you wanna stay. I prefer to sleep propped up sometimes anyway, and I don’t mind if you take the bed.”

“Well…” Ouma started, “If you’re just sooo~ desperate to have me in your room for a night…” a wink, and Saihara playfully rolled his eyes back. He sat down in the desk chair as the other climbed into the bed. Saihara hadn’t gotten a decent night of sleep in who knows how long, so he passed out almost immediately.

He woke much sooner than expected due to a heavy weight on his chest. Apparently, Kokichi was a lot more clingy than he thought, as it appeared that the boy couldn’t sleep in Shuichi’s bed alone even though they were both in the room. He gently shook Kokichi awake.

“If we’re gonna share, wouldn’t it make more sense to share the bed?”

“You want me in bed with you?” Ouma let out a yawn and widened his eyes,”Shuichi! How could you try and take advantage of me like that?”

“Yeah, yeah, c’mon Kokichi.” 

Since the hospital bed was so small, the two of them had no choice but to lie close together; not that that was new or anything, but Saihara had never been that close to anyone before, and never really thought he would be. Everything about this situation was strange and foreign to him, but everything was going to work out just fine. For the first time since the killing game, or maybe for the first time ever, Saihara lay in bed without a single fear eating away at his brain. 

“Good night Kokichi.”

“Eww, you’re all warm and gross!”

“And you’re freezing. I think you can put up with my overwhelming heat.”

“You’re overwhelmingly hot for a number of reasons-”

“Go to sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! There should be one more chapter before it’s over :) 
> 
> If any of you are fans of your turn to die, please check out my crossover fics in the meantime (just go to my profile <3)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was a bit later than it was supposed to be ! Hope you enjoy :) (I may have gone a little overboard with this final chapter; it can still be read as completely platonic but it’s much more romantically hinted- sorry about that !)
> 
> Oh, and while nothing is explicitly said, Ouma makes a few dirty jokes (though none are nearly as bad as anything he said in the game)

When Shuichi awoke in the morning, he felt both of Kokichi’s arms wrapped around his chest. For a split second he felt the need to jump up and run out of the room, but his mind quickly caught him up on the events of yesterday. Kokichi was clearly not awake yet, and it would be horribly rude for Shuichi to move out of his arms when he was finally sleeping. He stayed in bed; not because he really wanted to and couldn’t imagine giving up on this opportunity, but purely because he didn’t want to wake Kokichi.  _ Totally just that,  _ he convinced himself.

Ouma was a quiet sleeper, to Shuichi’s surprise. He didn’t toss and turn at all, to the point that Shuichi would assume he was frozen if it weren’t for the occasional mumble. Shuichi wondered if this was the only time Ouma was ever completely still. _Perhaps he has to make up for all the time he spends bouncing off the walls?_

Saihara hated silence. He hated waiting and he hated wasting time, even if there was nothing for him to do. However, he learned that he didn’t mind spending a morning with nothing to do when it was a little less lonely. He considered asking Kokichi to spend the entire day like that when he woke up, until he heard a knock at the door.

“Hey Shuichi! It’s Kaede!” Saihara almost sprung out of bed, but since Kokichi still had an arm around him he couldn’t push the smaller boy off.  _ Shit.  _ He’d forgotten exactly where he was when he heard her voice, but was quickly projected back to reality.

“Shuichi? You in there?”

“Just a second!” He called out.  _ Of course.  _ Of course the day he finally sees Kaede again is the day he has someone literally  **in his bed** . Saihara sighed, convinced the universe would always be against him. With no time left to think, Saihara tossed a spare blanket over a still-asleep Kokichi.

He opened the door to a grinning Akamatsu, and was immediately tackled into a hug. All his prior fears of the pianist being revolted by his very presence went out the window. She was here, she was real, she was alive, and somehow, miraculously, she didn’t hate Shuichi for it.

“I can’t breathe Kaede!” Saihara could barely choke his words out, and the pianist somehow managed to hold him tighter. She didn’t say anything in return, but when she pulled back Saihara saw her wipe a tear from her eye. “Kaito and Maki told me all about what happened when I was gone,” Kaede whispered, immediately pulling him in for another hug. “Shuichi, you should be so proud of yourself.”

“I-” He started, not at all prepared for this situation. After a minute of silence, Kaede pulled back.

“I was thinking you could come join us in the dining ha-” Akamatsu froze mid-sentence, staring intently at something past Shuichi’s shoulder. Her mouth fell open, so Shuichi quickly jerked back to see what she was looking at and  _ SHIT.  _ While Kokichi wasn’t at all exposed, Akamatsu had clearly seen someone moving under that stupid blanket. Why did Shuichi even consider that plan working? “Shuichi, who is-”

“No one! I mean nothing, nothing!” Kaede covered her mouth with her hand and politely took a few steps back towards the hallway. “We didn’t do anything! Just… cause like... insomnia and nightmares and- don’t give me that look!” Kaede did her best to stifle her laugh, but ultimately failed. Shuichi stood in silent shame as she continued to giggle, before steading herself and regaining composure

“That was very nice of you to do for him.” She couldn’t help but snicker at Shuichi one more time, as if his embarrassment levels hadn’t already hit their peak. “I’ll be in the cafeteria for a bit with Kaito and Maki, when both of you are up you can come join us?”

“Sounds like a-” Shuichi stopped, “Wait, you said him? How did you-” 

“Later, Shuichi!” Akamatsu skipped off before he could finish his question. As he watched her leave Shuichi brought his hands up to his face and loudly sighed. He was never going to live that one down.

“Well, she’s gone now!” Saihara heard a voice from inside his room as he shut the door. While Ouma sounded as if he had just woken up (which he did), Saihara could still hear the laughing tone in his words. “Ready for another round?”

“Another round of wha- Kokichi!” Shuichi jumped back, completely appalled. Kokichi was now sitting up in the bed, with the blanket Shuichi had covered him with over his shoulders. He laughed in his own strange way. 

“Aww, Shuichi seems so pressed!” Kokichi snickered at him again, “Maybe I shouldn’t have left that note on Kaede’s door, hmm?”

“You what?” Shuichi lifted a hand to grab his clothing by his chest, completely overwhelmed by one encounter. It was too early for this.

“Well, you weren’t going to see her on your own! She assumed you didn’t want her to talk to you, and you assumed she didn’t want to talk to you. I fixed your stupid, imaginary problem, detective! No need to thank me.” _Well_. He was certainly grateful that things were alright with Akamatsu, and while he didn’t really agree with Kokichi’s method of fixing their friendship, he was very glad it worked.

“Ah, well… Thank you Ou- Kokichi.”

“There you go!” Ouma jumped up from the bed and stretched, “I’m gonna go change, don’t leave without me, kay?”

“Okay… wait, where?” 

“Were you not listening to a word she said? The cafeteria!” 

“Well, in my defense!” Shuichi jokingly glared at Kokichi, “I was a bit preoccupied with Kaede’s misconceptions, which, by the way, thanks for somehow managing to convince her that we-”

“Okay, okay!” Kokichi held his hands up toward Saihara’s face. “No need to thank me for everything, detective!” Saihara sighed again. He’d been doing that alot recently, and expected he’d be doing it a whole lot more now. Kokichi left with a wave, and went back to his room to change.

Shuichi hadn’t even noticed he was still in his pajamas until then. They weren’t embarrassing necessarily; just a grey t-shirt and some plaid bottoms, but the fact that he wasn’t even dressed when Akamatsu looked so put-together was a bit shameful. Shuichi changed into his regular outfit (and maybe he did his eyeliner using the tiny mirror he found in the cupboard last night. Maybe.) After trying, and failing, to pat his hair down, he strolled out of his room and down to Kokichi’s. 

As soon as he knocked on the door, Ouma called him inside. It looked practically identical to Shuichi’s room, except Ouma’s pajamas were on the floor instead of his. The smaller boy was wearing the same outfit he did in the killing game, without one little detail. He held his checkered scarf out to Shuichi.

“Kinda gross that they have us wearing the same exact outfits, huh Shuichi? I don’t even know how to tie my own scarf! Team Danganronpa must exist only to deter me, they know I’d be too powerful on my own if they didn’t-”

“Want me to tie it for you?” Saihara asked cautiously, “Or would you rather keep it off?”

“Well, since you so kindly offered…” Kokichi’s face contorted into a grin that could mean nothing good. “I need it on, or else Kaede will know I’m not hiding anything!”

“I don’t think you could hide too much on your neck-”  _ Ah.  _ Shuichi frowned down at Ouma, not meeting his eyes as he laughed at the detective.

“But seriously, it would mean the world to me if you tied it, pretty please!” Saihara reluctantly complied.

“Did you seriously never take this thing off during the game?”

“No, no! Of course I took it off, I wore a new one every single day.” Kokichi feigned offense, “Did you really think I wasn’t clean, Shuichi?”

“Yeah, no you didn’t. You got pasta sauce on it once and the stain never really went away.

“Wait, really?”

“No.”

“Shuichi, you lied to me!” Kokichi jumped back and playfully slapped him on the arm, “How could you!” Shuichi just laughed.

“Well, you clearly took your scarf off before, and were able to get it back on with no trouble,” Saihara explained as if Ouma didn’t know all this already, “The scarf is far too small to fit over your head without untying it, so what’s the deal?”

“You think too much, detective. Maybe I just didn’t feel like using my hands today?”

“So you wanted me to-”

“Boring! Let’s go to the dining hall!” Kokichi grabbed his wrist and pulled Shuichi out the door.

There wasn’t much to say on the way there, but Kokichi kept his hand around Saihara’s wrist the entire time. Not that he was upset by it, it was just a bit abnormal, but not bad. Kokichi probably didn’t even realize he’d done it.

Just as they arrived at the cafeteria, Kaito and Maki were walking out. Ouma dropped his hand before they were seen, which, surprisingly, disappointed Shuichi just a bit. Kaito waved them over, trying not to let his expression show his wariness towards Ouma. Maki silently glared behind him, not masking her opinion whatsoever.

“Hey Kaito! Hey Maki!” Saihara smiled, hoping this situation wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable for the others as it was for him.

“Hey sidekick! Hey Ouma,” Momota nodded, looking more towards Shuichi instead. Ouma just nodded back. Maki glared a bit harder in greeting. “We’re headed to the gym, wanna meet us there after you eat?”

“You’re welcome to join us, Shuichi.” Maki echoed.

“Again?” It wasn’t that Shuichi didn’t want to work out, but he was a little worried about Kaito’s wellbeing. If he pushed himself too hard, he could start coughing again, and he might-

“You gotta keep up a routine, Shuichi, c’mon!” That’s right. Momota’s illness was never real anyways. Shuichi smiled out of relief, and agreed to meet them after breakfast. He hoped drawing the lines between real and imaginary would be easier as time went by. 

“That was a lot more… civil than I expected.” He muttered to Kokichi as Kaito and Maki walked off. Kokichi gave him a confused look.

“Well, yeah. It’s a lot easier to get along with morons when you’re not fearing for your death every second, especially after one of them already killed you.” Kokichi laughed, “Better not upset him, he might do it again!”

“Oh, stop it.” Shuichi rolled his eyes, knowing there wasn’t any actual worry behind Ouma’s words. They finally walked into the dining hall where Kaede was waiting.

“Shuichi! Hello Ouma!” Kaede called them over, and they chatted for a while about this, that, and everything else. Kokichi was much more polite than Shuichi recalled, but again, he wasn’t alone in a killing game anymore. He was funny too, and once or twice Kaede had to poke him to call him out for staring a little too much at the end of a joke. 

“Alright, alright, here’s the plan.” Akamatsu started. Ouma adjusted his scarf as if he was trying to hide something, and Shuichi just about died in his chair. Akamatsu, polite as ever, averted her eyes towards Shuichi instead, as he attempted to act as if Ouma wasn’t pulling this shit right next to him.

“Well, once we all get out of here,” she smiled brightly at the two of them, “I was thinking about having us all meet up! Maybe once a month? See what we all have going on, keep in touch?”

“That’s a great idea!” Shuichi agreed, and Kokichi nodded as well. Kaede went over her plans for a few minutes, before waving them goodbye to go check on Tenko and Himiko (who had both been absolutely head-over-heels to see each other again).

Kokichi didn’t leave Shuichi’s side when they left, even though only he had been invited to the gym. He was silently walking beside Shuichi, but it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

“She saw us together like that,” Shuichi shuddered and put a hand over his mouth as they continued to stroll down the hall, “I can’t believe you would call her in when you were literally there in my bed! And then the thing with the scarf-” Ouma lifted a finger to his face and grinned suspiciously.

“Maybe I wanted her to think we-”

“Shut up.” Shuichi didn’t want to hear the rest of that one.

“You’re no fun, detective!”

They walked silently until they reached the gym. As Kokichi turned to leave-

“Do you wanna come by again tonight?”  _ Too far?  _ Kokichi paused before answering.

“I will! Whether you want me there or not, you can’t stop me from coming in! No matter how much you beg me to stay away. See you later, Shumai!” With that, he skipped off, but Shuichi was sure he’d be back very soon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for writing you so poorly miss Maki I will make it up to you queen I swear ... comments and kudos are appreciated ! Should I write more saiouma in the future? (If you like yttd please check out my other writing !)


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